The economic news today is positive and points to a strong finish to 2014. Predictions for the holiday selling season are for growth rates double what they were last year!

Reuters said the U.S. economy grew at its fastest rate in 2 ½ years in the second quarter of 2014 with all sectors contributing to the jump in output in a bullish signal for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan said at the start of the last quarter of the year that its index of consumer sentiment rose to 84.6 in September from 82.5 in August. That’s the second highest level in the past seven years. Also encouraging is the fact that the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index increased to a seven year high in August.

According to an Associated Press article, more households expect their incomes to rise in the coming year than at any other time in the past six years.

And, so far, economic data such as manufacturing, trade and housing suggest that much of the second quarter momentum spilled over into the third quarter.

Continue to be aggressive in helping your clients to take advantage of our rebounding economy. The consumer continues to spend and incomes are rising.

The short answer to the question of what businesses can benefit from direct mail marketing is: almost any business!

Ron Reiring – Flickr

If you own a business that has a storefront and relies on foot traffic, then you can definitely benefit from direct mail advertising. Whether you sell products or services or both, direct mail can work for you by alerting people in your immediate area to your presence and giving them a reason to visit your location.

People in your neighborhood may not even know that your business is there. Your storefront might just be a blur to them among the many others as they drive by everyday. When you drive by the same places everyday, you develop a sort of blindness to them. Just try walking the same route that you drive once and I bet you’ll be shocked to notice buildings that you see everyday but never really had time to take note of as you rush by.

But, when people are sitting in their homes looking for great deals in the Money Mailer envelope, it’s a great time to let them know that you’re just a hop, skip and a jump away right in their own back yard, so to speak.

And, if you’re just moving into a neighborhood, direct mail is the perfect way to introduce your business to your new neighbors. Announce your grand opening with a fantastic deal and people will come to check out the new place.

From stores to optometrists to plumbing and heating outlets, direct mailing works wonders for letting potential customers know you’re there and giving them a reason to come see your business.

No matter how much you love getting mail, you’ll never love it as much as the wonderfully-named three-year-old Clementine Flowers.

Clementine doesn’t just stroll down to the end of the driveway to get the mail, you see, she has a ritual for collecting the mail.

Every single day, Clementine comes home from school, goes straight to her bedroom and puts on a special outfit to check the mail. When’s the last time you did that?

Being a fan of variety, the three year old switches up her outfit daily. And she doesn’t just wear her regular clothes, she has a bevy of costumes that she dons for her daily mail run.

“This was definitely her idea,” Clementine’s mom, Erin Piper-Flowers, of Dallas, Texas, told ABC News. “She doesn’t usually get to wear everything she wants to at school. She can get away with her Cinderella shoes and today she wore her Super Girl outfit, but as soon as she gets home she goes straight to her room to get dressed up.”

It turns out Clementine is a daddy’s girl and she picked up the mail ritual from her father, Paul Flowers (except the dressing like a princess part).

“My husband’s thing has always been checking the mail, so it became her thing to go out there with him to chat with the neighbors,” she explained.

But, while the little mail fan picked up her postal ritual from her dad, her fashion flair comes straight from her mom, who is the senior fashion stylist for Neiman Marcus Last Call.

Clementine often dresses like a princess to check the mail, but she’ll also wear a cowgirl outfit or dress like Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear. The aforementioned neighbors have taken notice of the little girl’s ritual and have even started giving her outfits.

“The neighbors across the street gave her a poodle skirt because they know she’s so into dress-up,” Piper-Flowers said. If you want to compare your own fashion choices to Clementine’s, or you just want to see adorableness in action, the family has been documenting Clementine’s costumes on Instagram using the hashtag, #whatweweartocheckthemail.